I am studying Thai because my adopted children are from Thailand and we recently we discovered that one of my daughters, Amie has a full blood sister Bam who was born in 1999 who was also adopted, but still lives in Thailand.

One day when Amie is older, I have no doubt she is going to want to meet her mum and sister.She has no interest in learning Thai language but I felt strongly that it was important for me to learn Thai so I can translate between them when they reunite/meet. Im positive it will make the experience so much more rewarding and heart felt. I would also like Bam to feel like she has a positive male figure that she can have a connection with. Again, the language will help bridge that gap.

It has been challenging taking on learning Thai especially when I'm a single dad with a house and kids to run, a business to operate and all that life throws my way. But I am enjoying the challenge and am making progress.

My number one advice tip is to know that is normal to feel like your struggling with the new language. Don't beat yourself up about it. The positive mindset will return so just accept that you are having a difficult period of learning and that you can actually be curious about it rather than resistant.

I have found that is goes away like a receding tide much sooner if I'm curious about why I am having difficulty, rather than permitting myself to feel negative about it. It's actually a choice.

Every second Sunday I will totally immerse my brain in Thai language. From the moment I wake until I go to bed that night I will study, listen and think as much as possible in Thai.

An interesting tip I got, which I first thought was ridiculous but is actually a great technique (Never discount something until you try it, right?) - Hold your phone to your ear and have an imaginary 2 way conversation in the language. You can do this in public and as long as there is no native speaker to hear you, no one will know you are making mistakes. I like this because you have to think about both questions and responses etc.

Tip: Put the phone on silent, otherwise you will look like a goose if it rings.

My final tip is - Any substantial goal will overwhelm us if we do not break it down into smaller, more achievable short term goals. We need those little triumphs along the way to keep us motivated and prevent potentially quitting because it seems too far away or too big a mountain to climb.